Completed Event: Baseball versus Murray State on June 9, 2025 , Loss , 4, to, 5
/
Final
Baseball
4
vs Murray State
5
Tuesday, May 18
Davidson, N.C.
4 P.M.
Duke University
at
Davidson
Duke Travels to Davidson for Tuesday Matinee
5/17/2021 2:10:00 PM | Baseball
DURHAM – The Duke baseball team travels to Davidson for a midweek matchup with the Wildcats on Tuesday at Wilson Field in Davidson, N.C.
Â
FIRST PITCH
HOW TO FOLLOW
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Chris Edwards also has the call for the game on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College and will be available on GoDuke.com or the TuneIn app.
Tuesday, 4 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats
Â
SERIES HISTORY
Duke and Davidson meet for the 148th time in the two programs' histories, dating back to 1902. Duke leads the series, 115-32, and holds a 38-12 advantage when the two teams meet in Davidson. In recent years, Duke is 9-2 over the last 11 games. The two teams meet for the second time this season as the Blue Devils topped the Wildcats, 7-3, on March 2 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Under head coach Chris Pollard, Duke is 10-2 against his alma mater as Pollard graduated from Davidson in 1996. Pollard owns a 26-8 career record against his alma mater.
Â
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats hold a 24-22 overall record entering the final week of play. Davidson is coming off back-to-back series splits (2-2) with Richmond and George Mason. Davidson currently sits in the middle of the South division of the Atlantic 10 conference. The Wildcats rank in the top 30 in the nation in home runs and home runs per game. Individually, Alex Fedje-Johnson has emerged as the leader in the box, leading the team in batting average (.304), hits (49), doubles (15), walks (34) and on-base percentage (.452). Closer Nolan Devos has been stellar on the mound, boasting an ERA of 1.59 with five wins, seven saves and 61 strikeouts.
Â
LOPERFIDO NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Joey Loperfido was named ACC Player of the Week on May 10 after a stellar week in the batter's box. Loperfido batted 10-for-15 through four games as the Blue Devils went 2-2. The Haddonfield, N.J., native went 2-for-4 against William & Mary in a midweek contest before leading the Blue Devils at No. 15 Louisville, going 8-for-11 (.727) with four runs, two doubles and a home run.
Â
CIRCLING THE PILLOWS IN STYLE
Duke hit eight home runs in the three-game series at Virginia, the most in a single three-game series under head coach Chris Pollard. In addition, senior Michael Rothenberg hit longballs in back-to-back at bats during Friday's game to become the first Blue Devil to do so in a single game since Kennie Taylor accomplished the task at Georgia Tech on May 17, 2018. Just two games after Rothenberg accomplished the feat, teammate graduate student Peter Matt also hit home runs in back-to-back at bats on Sunday at Virginia.
Â
JOHNSON AND FOX STELLAR IN APRIL
Sophomore Marcus Johnson and freshman Luke Fox were stellar on the bump for the Blue Devils in the month of April. Johnson (1.15) and Fox (1.20) ranked first and second in the ACC in ERA for the month, both holding opposing batters to a sub-.200 batting average. The duo combined to allow just four earned runs on 16 hits and five walks while striking out 41 batters in 30.2 innings of work in the month of April.
Â
CRABTREE'S BIG DAY VS. VIRGINIA TECH
Senior Chris Crabtree boasted a five-hit day against Virginia Tech to lead the Blue Devils to capture game one of a crucial ACC series. Crabtree's five hits were the most by a Blue Devil since Zack Kone at Miami on April 16, 2016. Crabtree was locked in, recording two triples and a home run to be a double-shy of the cycle. His four runs in the game were a career-high and became the second Blue Devil this season to hit two triples in a single game.
Â
WELCOME TO K-VILLE
The Blue Devil pitching staff has ascended to new heights over the past three seasons, shattering the school's single-season strikeout record in 2018 and 2019. This season, Duke is continuing to strike out batters at record rates, fanning 422 batters in just 327.2 innings pitched.
Â
Duke season strikeout totals (Team records)
Rank     K/9       Strikeouts        Season  Â
1.          9.72          598               2019
2.          9.12          575               2018
             11.51       183               2020*
             9.80          422               2021
*Season cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic
Â
JOHNSON CLOSING FOR DUKE
Sophomore Marcus Johnson has emerged as Duke's go-to closer during the 2021 season. The Fontana, Calif., native has shown excellent control and pounded the strike zone, totaling 43 strikeouts to just eight walks in 39.2 innings pitched for a team-leading strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.38. From April 13 to May 4, Johnson picked up two wins while allowing just four hits and two walks and fanning 17 batters in 11 scoreless innings pitched. In addition, he held batters to a .111 batting average.
Â
TRIPLING INTO THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS
Junior Ethan Murray tripled twice in the fourth inning against Campbell on April 13. Murray's pair of triples in a single inning was just the ninth time that has happened in Division I NCAA history, and the first time since 2008. In addition, Duke's three triples against Campbell were the most in a single game since 2017.
Â
UTILIZING THE LONGBALL
The Duke offense erupted over a month span of April 11 to May 11, hitting 32 home runs over the past 14 games. Graduate student Peter Matt and junior RJ Schreck have led the way, blasting a combined 15 home runs in the span. The Blue Devils have hit a home run in 11 consecutive games. Duke's 53 home runs on the season rank seventh all-time in a single season in Duke history and are the second most in a single season under head coach Chris Pollard.
Â
DUKE CONTINUES K'S 4 KIDS' CANCER
Duke baseball announced the renewal of the K's 4 Kids' Cancer campaign, which is now in its third season with the team. Fans can help Duke baseball strikeout children's cancer by making a pledge for every strikeout that Blue Devil pitchers rack up this season. In just two years, the campaign has raised over $25,000 and all funds go directly to support cancer research and patient care at Duke Children's Hospital.
Â
#GoDuke
Â
Â
Â
Â
FIRST PITCH
- Duke (24-20, 13-17 ACC) hits the road to travel to Davidson (24-22, 8-12 A-10) for its final non-conference midweek game of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Â
- Senior Chris Crabtree recorded his 100th career hit at Virginia on April 25. Crabtree is one of eighth Blue Devils to boast triple-digit career hits.
- Duke recently celebrated Senior Day, honoring 14 graduates including six seniors and eight graduate students. On Senior Day, graduate student Erikson Nichols hit a walk-off single to complete the series sweep over Virginia Tech.
- The Blue Devils have hit 53 home runs this season, the second-most in a single season under head coach Chris Pollard. Over the past month, Duke has recorded 33 home runs.
- Duke and Davidson meet for the second time this season as the Blue Devils took the first meeting, 7-3, on March 2. Duke leads the all-time series with the Wildcats, 115-32.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Chris Edwards also has the call for the game on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College and will be available on GoDuke.com or the TuneIn app.
Tuesday, 4 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats
Â
SERIES HISTORY
Duke and Davidson meet for the 148th time in the two programs' histories, dating back to 1902. Duke leads the series, 115-32, and holds a 38-12 advantage when the two teams meet in Davidson. In recent years, Duke is 9-2 over the last 11 games. The two teams meet for the second time this season as the Blue Devils topped the Wildcats, 7-3, on March 2 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Under head coach Chris Pollard, Duke is 10-2 against his alma mater as Pollard graduated from Davidson in 1996. Pollard owns a 26-8 career record against his alma mater.
Â
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats hold a 24-22 overall record entering the final week of play. Davidson is coming off back-to-back series splits (2-2) with Richmond and George Mason. Davidson currently sits in the middle of the South division of the Atlantic 10 conference. The Wildcats rank in the top 30 in the nation in home runs and home runs per game. Individually, Alex Fedje-Johnson has emerged as the leader in the box, leading the team in batting average (.304), hits (49), doubles (15), walks (34) and on-base percentage (.452). Closer Nolan Devos has been stellar on the mound, boasting an ERA of 1.59 with five wins, seven saves and 61 strikeouts.
Â
LOPERFIDO NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Joey Loperfido was named ACC Player of the Week on May 10 after a stellar week in the batter's box. Loperfido batted 10-for-15 through four games as the Blue Devils went 2-2. The Haddonfield, N.J., native went 2-for-4 against William & Mary in a midweek contest before leading the Blue Devils at No. 15 Louisville, going 8-for-11 (.727) with four runs, two doubles and a home run.
Â
CIRCLING THE PILLOWS IN STYLE
Duke hit eight home runs in the three-game series at Virginia, the most in a single three-game series under head coach Chris Pollard. In addition, senior Michael Rothenberg hit longballs in back-to-back at bats during Friday's game to become the first Blue Devil to do so in a single game since Kennie Taylor accomplished the task at Georgia Tech on May 17, 2018. Just two games after Rothenberg accomplished the feat, teammate graduate student Peter Matt also hit home runs in back-to-back at bats on Sunday at Virginia.
Â
JOHNSON AND FOX STELLAR IN APRIL
Sophomore Marcus Johnson and freshman Luke Fox were stellar on the bump for the Blue Devils in the month of April. Johnson (1.15) and Fox (1.20) ranked first and second in the ACC in ERA for the month, both holding opposing batters to a sub-.200 batting average. The duo combined to allow just four earned runs on 16 hits and five walks while striking out 41 batters in 30.2 innings of work in the month of April.
Â
CRABTREE'S BIG DAY VS. VIRGINIA TECH
Senior Chris Crabtree boasted a five-hit day against Virginia Tech to lead the Blue Devils to capture game one of a crucial ACC series. Crabtree's five hits were the most by a Blue Devil since Zack Kone at Miami on April 16, 2016. Crabtree was locked in, recording two triples and a home run to be a double-shy of the cycle. His four runs in the game were a career-high and became the second Blue Devil this season to hit two triples in a single game.
Â
WELCOME TO K-VILLE
The Blue Devil pitching staff has ascended to new heights over the past three seasons, shattering the school's single-season strikeout record in 2018 and 2019. This season, Duke is continuing to strike out batters at record rates, fanning 422 batters in just 327.2 innings pitched.
Â
Duke season strikeout totals (Team records)
Rank     K/9       Strikeouts        Season  Â
1.          9.72          598               2019
2.          9.12          575               2018
             11.51       183               2020*
             9.80          422               2021
*Season cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic
Â
JOHNSON CLOSING FOR DUKE
Sophomore Marcus Johnson has emerged as Duke's go-to closer during the 2021 season. The Fontana, Calif., native has shown excellent control and pounded the strike zone, totaling 43 strikeouts to just eight walks in 39.2 innings pitched for a team-leading strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.38. From April 13 to May 4, Johnson picked up two wins while allowing just four hits and two walks and fanning 17 batters in 11 scoreless innings pitched. In addition, he held batters to a .111 batting average.
Â
TRIPLING INTO THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS
Junior Ethan Murray tripled twice in the fourth inning against Campbell on April 13. Murray's pair of triples in a single inning was just the ninth time that has happened in Division I NCAA history, and the first time since 2008. In addition, Duke's three triples against Campbell were the most in a single game since 2017.
Â
UTILIZING THE LONGBALL
The Duke offense erupted over a month span of April 11 to May 11, hitting 32 home runs over the past 14 games. Graduate student Peter Matt and junior RJ Schreck have led the way, blasting a combined 15 home runs in the span. The Blue Devils have hit a home run in 11 consecutive games. Duke's 53 home runs on the season rank seventh all-time in a single season in Duke history and are the second most in a single season under head coach Chris Pollard.
Â
DUKE CONTINUES K'S 4 KIDS' CANCER
Duke baseball announced the renewal of the K's 4 Kids' Cancer campaign, which is now in its third season with the team. Fans can help Duke baseball strikeout children's cancer by making a pledge for every strikeout that Blue Devil pitchers rack up this season. In just two years, the campaign has raised over $25,000 and all funds go directly to support cancer research and patient care at Duke Children's Hospital.
Â
#GoDuke
Â
Â
Â
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballDuke Baseball - Corey Muscara Opening Press Conference
Friday, June 27
Press Conference: Corey Muscara Introduction
Wednesday, June 25
Press Conference: Durham Super Regional Sunday
Sunday, June 08
Press Conference: Durham Super Regional Saturday
Saturday, June 07
